After the infamous drought of 1990 came the rain, and the torrential downpour besieged the town of Quartier Morin in Haiti's Nord-Department like an invading army. There was water everywhere, soaking the normally dusty streets. The rural Haitian community, located a few kilometers from the City of Cap-Haitien, has definitely seen better days. Flooding is typically a concern for the inhabitants of coastal cities or riverbank towns and villages, not country folk residing in the plains. Could flooding be on the cards for the town of Quartier Morin? The locals dread the answer.
Jasper Bien-Aime stood at the window, and watched while shaking his head. The six-foot-tall, wiry and slender, dark-skinned man looked troubled. Truth be told, the stoic Haitian farmer was in his sixtieth year but looked much younger. Working the land for most of his lifetime made Jasper much stronger and more spry than a man of his years had any right to be. Some city slickers found that out the hard way when they challenged Jasper to an arm wrestling contest in Place Rue Dix-Huit last month. Quartier Morin folks are no pushovers. For two centuries, members of the Bien-Aime family had looked after these lands.
The Bien-Aime Estate covers three hundred acres, and in ages past, the owners had massive herds of cows, goats and pigs. They were among the Marche Du Cap's most reliable meat suppliers. The Bien-Aime name means something in the world of Haitian commerce, where all goods are bartered, and prices are seldom set. Jasper was concerned about his farm. Prior to the rain, Jasper made sure his flock was properly taken care of. Affectionately known as L'Arene, the wooden stalls with the thatched roof would provide plenty of shelter for the cows and horses. Jasper had no desire to run after them once the rains stopped.
Jasper watched the lightning streak across the darkened skies, and wondered how his neighbor Boris Renard was doing. Jasper and Boris had known each other their whole lives. Boris wife Anne-Marie died recently after a long battle with cancer. Boris sons Jean-Claude and Yvon left the Renard family estate to seek their fortune in Port-Au-Prince. To say that the old Haitian widower was lonely would have been an understatement. Jasper checked up on Boris from time to time. The old buzzard didn't care to pick up the phone when he called. Boris was a technophobe of the worst caliber. Oh well, this made Jasper and Boris in-person meetings more interesting....
A rueful smile creased Jasper's face as he remembered what went on during his last visit with Boris. Things got a bit rowdy between the two friends. As much as Boris missed his dearly departed wife Anne-Marie, there were things which he could now enjoy freely in her absence. Well, about as free as one dares to be in the Republic of Haiti. Jasper and Boris have an enduring friendship going back several decades, and both men know each other quite well. Discretion and true friendship go hand in hand, that's what both men believe.
As the winds of change gripped the Island of Haiti, the people of rural Quartier Morin went on as they always have, with patience and stoicism. Let the politically minded fools in places like Port-Au-Prince, Cap-Haitien and Hinche clash with their friends and neighbors all they want. Folks in Quartier Morin are the heart of Haiti, for it is their work which feeds the country. Names like Aristide and Sedras were on everyone's lips in this time of turmoil. Jasper and his neighbors didn't pay them any mind. Jasper was glad that his daughter Aline was safe and sound in Ouanaminthe with her Dominican husband Pablo. Always best to stay out of the hot zones...
"Jasper, retounen nan kaban, come back to bed," came a sleepy feminine voice, and Jasper grinned. The lady of the house was making her presence felt. Marguerite was awake, which was quite surprising after last night's sexual escapades. Jasper put away the cigarette he'd drawn. Marguerite doesn't like it when he smokes indoors. Jasper saw Marquis and Loki, the family dogs, avoiding the rain as best they could in the wooden shelter he'd built for them years ago. Shaking his head, Jasper headed for the door.
"Map vini, cheri, I'll be right back, honey," Jasper called over his shoulder. He looked at the falling rain, shook his head and went into it. Opening the wooden shelter door, Jasper let Loki and Marquis out. The two dogs, a large brown mutt and a small brown dog, wagged their tails affectionately. Jasper patted the dogs heads and pointed to the house. Loki and Marquis rushed to the house. Jasper followed them inside. Mere days ago, Jasper prayed for rain as he attended mass at the Cathedral. Now, he wanted the damned water to go away...
